This invention relates to an improved inhaler in the size, shape and overall appearance of a cigarette to be utilized not only as a substitute for smoking, but also as an aid in stopping the smoking habit in the first place.
Ever since it has been universally recognized that the smoke of combustion of tobacco (or anything else, for that matter) produces carcinogens that cannot be satisfactorily filtered out without destroying the pleasure of smoking, there has been a need for a really safe and enjoyable "smokeless cigarette." Consequently, several cigarette-simulating inhalers have been proposed. They utilize a wick which is prefilled with an essential oil and past which a flow of air is drawn by the user so that some of the essential oil in vapor form is inhaled with the air in appealing primarily to the sense of smell of the user. Such devices have a contoured mouthpiece on one end and a simulated ash on the other. They essentially differ in the manner by which the wick is suspended within the central tubular element. These devices have a number of problems in common. Due to their relatively complicated structure, they must be manufactured by the more expensive injection molding procedure. Since there are a large number of parts involved, they cannot be assembled quickly at the factory. Also, because of the necessary time delay between time of manufacture and time of sale to the user, most of the essential oil will have evaporated from the wick and be lost to the packaging and atmosphere. And by necessity of their construction, these inhalers look stubby, awkward and fake.
A few novel cigarette filters have been proposed in which a so-called rupturable liquid-containing capsule is either embedded in the interior of a single long filter element or located between, and in contact with, two short filter elements. This concept represents a step forward, but there are still some problems. The user has no way of easily removing the ruptured capsule, which would seriously impair his ability to inhale through the filter. Similarly, there is no way of quickly and easily assembling such a device at the factory. The cost would be too high to manufacture a cigarette with such a filter. Furthermore, no practical or economical means have been proposed for effecting rupture of such a liquid-containing capsule. In the present state of the art, there is no soft capsule made, of which I am aware, that can be ruptured by simply squeezing it. If its shell were simply made thinner, then unwanted leaking around the seam would result. The use of a frangible capsule might obviate this problem, but there is no liquid-containing frangible capsule made, of which I am aware, in the present state of the art. If such a capsule could in fact be made, it would require custom machinery and would thus be much more expensive.